'Appreciate what you see': The late-career excellence of David Ortiz

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- In the afterglow of his two-homer game Saturday night at Fenway Park, David Ortiz was asked about his upcoming 38th birthday.

By TIM BRITTON

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- In the afterglow of his two-homer game Saturday night at Fenway Park, David Ortiz was asked about his upcoming 38th birthday.

"You think I want to know that?" Ortiz said. "Thirty-eight? You see me swinging? I swing like I'm 20."

Actually, Ortiz doesn't swing like he's 20, because when he was 20, he was a Wisconsin Timbler Rattler in the Single-A Midwest League. That was his last year in the Seattle organization, before he was traded to Minnesota as a player to be named later for Dave Hollins.

No, Ortiz just swings like it's 2003 or 2007 or 2011, his prime extending beyond a decade, albeit with a few down years in the middle.

Most sluggers in their mid-30s and beyond are familiar with the ideas of the dead cat bounce and double-dip recessions, as applied to their numbers. But Ortiz's rejuvenation over the past several years is startlingly complete. He is, at 37, putting up the same numbers he did at 27.

Need proof? In 2003, Ortiz hit .288 with a .369 on-base percentage, 31 homers and 101 RBIs. In 2013, Ortiz hit .309 with a .395 on-base percentage, 30 homers and 103 RBIs. His OPS was two points lower this year than that year.

Since 2011, in fact, Ortiz's .972 OPS is second-best in all the majors, behind only the otherworldly Miguel Cabrera.

"He's the best DH to ever, ever set foot on this game," David Price said Monday. "I don't know if he'll ever be matched."

"He's such a good hitter on top of being such a slugger," Craig Breslow said. "I think that's often underappreciated. He's 6-foot-4 and hitting 30 home runs a year, so you think he probably has some holes or doesn't make adjustments pitch-to-pitch. But he's such a smart hitter also. He doesn't have a glaring weakness, and you can't throw the same pitch to him twice."

That's where Ortiz has gotten better. The holes that cropped up in 2008 and 2009 have disappeared. After his strikeout rate peaked at nearly 24 percent of his plate appearances in 2010, it's dipped to the three lowest percentages of his career since.

"There was a period of time you felt like you could attack him in a certain way, whether that's down and away, in on his hands or sinking him in," said Breslow, who's faced Ortiz seven times in his career, dating back to '09. "In recent history, he's kind of debunked those theories that there is any one thing. I'm glad he's on our team."

Ortiz just posted the 13th-best OPS+ (OPS adjusted for era) from a player 37 or older in history. Six of the 12 seasons better than his belong to Barry Bonds or Ted Williams. Two more were recorded by Babe Ruth.

"David doesn't get enough credit for being as smart and as prepared as he is to play," said Jake Peavy. "David is so experienced and been pitched every different way you can be pitched by the best in the game.... David is a game changer. When you watch the attitude that he comes to work with every day, it's so relaxed but at the same time so professional."

"It's awfully nice not to have to get prepared to pitch against him and have him on your team."

Ortiz's influence extends far beyond the batter's box. Since the retirement of Jason Varitek, there has been clamoring throughout New England to bring the captain's "C" back on the jersey of Dustin Pedroia. However, and this is no offense to Pedroia, Ortiz demands the same respect and exerts the same leadership throughout the clubhouse as the second baseman. The two go hand-in-hand, catcher David Ross said.

"I told David the other day, we were on the road and I said, 'Man, I've never seen a guy care as much about winning and bring it every day.' If he doesn't bring his A game, we're not very good. Same with Dustin Pedroia," Ross said. "I've never seen that in superstars. It's a credit to the people they have around here. It's a credit to how they set up this organization and the people they've locked in and kept here for a long time. It's winning players."

Ross himself is 36, and he played the last several seasons with another aging superstar in Atlanta's Chipper Jones. Even so, Ortiz amazes him on a daily basis.

"Appreciate what you see," said Ross. "Tell the fans that. Write that. Appreciate what you see. This guy's really good."